Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Three book stories from Flavorpill

by Judy Berman. Posted on 5:00 pm Tuesday Nov 27, 2012How do we know this? Because we didn’t want to, either, but of course we couldn’t resist. So, yes, we are aware that Goodreads’ “What Should I Read Next? A Hipster Lit Flowchart” is pure click-bait, and we are on record as being so unhappy with the endless discourse about the dubiously defined subcultural group known as “hipsters.” And yet, here we are, following the path from Infinite Jest through everything else and judging ourselves hard for having read at least half the books on the list. Share in our pain — and, you know, perhaps find something very good to read in spite of yourself — below.Read More »

by Caroline Stanley. Posted on 1:30 pm Tuesday Nov 27, 2012Some interesting news for aspiring writers: In a first for one of the big six publishers, Simon & Schuster has announced plans to partner with Author Solutions Inc., a successful self-publishing business based out of Bloomington, Indiana, to create a separate house called Archway Publishing that will publish fiction, nonfiction, business, and children’s books. Archway will be a premium service, providing “the standard editorial, design, and distribution services” — plus some extras like access to video production services and speaking opportunities — at a cost that will range from $1,599 all the way up to $24,999.
“While the venture promises to access the expertise of a major publishing house, it will be completely operated and staffed by Author Solutions,” Media Decoder points out. “With no Simon & Schuster personnel involved, and without the Simon & Schuster name attached in any way to the final product, Archway’s prices – significantly higher than even the most expensive competition – could be a hard sell.” What do you think?

by Emily Temple. Posted on 11:30 am Tuesday Nov 27, 2012A dog may be man’s best friend, but some men make better friends than others. To us, it’s always seemed as though pets attach themselves to artists (and vice versa, of course) in greater numbers than to regular folks — or at least that almost every artist we know needs a furry friend to talk to. Maybe it’s the pull of a constant, silent listener to bounce ideas against, maybe it’s because of the boundless soul of the writer, maybe it’s a coincidence. Either way, we think pictures of famous authors and their pets are pretty adorable, so we’ve collected a few of them here. See some of our favorite writers with their dogs and cats (and peacocks, guess who) after the jump, and if we missed your favorite literary pair of man and beast, add them in the comments.Read More »